The invention relates to fuel supply valves for controlling fuel flow between a fuel reservoir and an engine. More particularly, the invention relates to such fuel supply valves used in connection with marine installations.
A typical marine installation includes an outboard motor mounted on the transom of a boat, a remotely located fuel tank, and a fuel supply valve communicating between the fuel tank and the engine of the outboard motor. The fuel supply valve prevents fuel from flowing out of the fuel tank when the engine is not running or when the fuel line is disconnected from the engine.
A known fuel supply valve apparatus includes a solenoid which opens and closes the valve and which is connected to the engine ignition system so that the solenoid is energized to open the valve when the ignition system is on. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that the solenoid is constantly energized when the engine is operating. As a result, the solenoid can become undesirably heated, and the solenoid causes a steady draw on the battery.
Attention is directed to the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:
______________________________________ Ogden 2,406,246 Aug. 20, 1946 Wilcox 3,173,646 Mar. 16, 1965 Kallel 3,780,980 Dec. 25, 1973 Romanenko, et al. 4,043,211 Aug. 23, 1977 ______________________________________